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MMD > Archives > July 2000 > 2000.07.09 > 13Prev  Next


Dismantling Orgoblo Pipe Organ Blower
By Randy

Hi,  I was hoping someone here might have run into the glitch I have
in dismantling a 1927 Orgoblo blower unit.  It has a Century induction
repulsion motor, 2 HP 1165 RPM, and measures about 36" wide and 36"
deep.

I bought, and am in the process of removing, a defunct 15-rank 1928
Kilgen organ, mainly for parts for my 9-rank 1930 Moller organ.  The
Moller came with a horrible 3 HP sheet metal forge blower.

The Orgoblo's cover came off just fine, of course, as did an aluminum
bracket or fan stiffener which was over the shaft held on by clamping
fit with two machine screws.  The fan itself has no keyway and no set
screw of any kind either in front, or down the back which I determined
by feel.  There is a stop collar in the back with a set screw and I was
able to loosen the screw and move the collar, thinking the screw was
holding the fan onto the shaft, but it wasn't.

So I tried spacing the collar about 1/4" away from the back of the
fan and tightened the screw, got two screw drivers between it and
the fan and tried to pop the fan off with mild prying action.  Wouldn't
even budge!

There's no way to get a puller on the hub of the fan, so that won't
work, and as the fan is sheet metal I wouldn't want to pry or pull it
and risk distorting it.

The hub is aluminum, mounted on the steel motor shaft so I suppose
there must be a little corrosion between both as the cause.  Since it's
aluminum that also precludes use of a torch to heat it.

I thought of trying WD-40 and going in with a piece of water pipe of
larger diameter than the motor shaft, with a piece of plywood cut round
with a hole in the center as a cushion between the pipe and the hub,
and see if I can tap the fan backwards towards the motor to loosen it.

The back of the fan is not accessible due to the unit's back plate
which only has a hole large enough for the motor shaft to go through.
I've worked on a 15 HP unit and the blades all had obvious set screws
and came right off the shaft.

Does anyone have any ideas about the aluminum on steel issue of a
corrosion and removal of parts stuck like this?

It looks like if I can't get the fan off, I'll have to turn the entire
unit up onto the back of the motor and work the drum and it's floor
mount off the backplate, and then haul the motor with the 36" backplate
and fan out as a unit.

It all has to go through a doorway that is barely 36" wide, and then
down a narrow staircase to the main level and then down the front steps
of the church, so the more it comes apart the better, especially if I
don't have to take it down the stairs with a large fragile sheet metal
backplate and fan assembly attached to it.

Randy


(Message sent Sun 9 Jul 2000, 17:19:53 GMT, from time zone GMT.)

Key Words in Subject:  Blower, Dismantling, Organ, Orgoblo, Pipe

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